11/05/24
November 28, 2010
LeBron James Bumps Heat Coach: A shoulder-to-shoulder nudge between LeBron James and Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra during Miami's loss to Dallas Saturday night has USA Today asking if it was intentional. The Heat held a players-only meeting after the loss, which dropped them to 9-8, and will be visiting Cleveland Thursday.
posted by rcade to basketball at 04:34 PM - 16 comments
I hope Spoelstra did that on purpose, and I hope Lebron gets benched/fined. Has anybody seen this (my apologies if it was already posted):
(presumably a spoof but it's pretty good!)
posted by MW12 at 06:03 PM on November 28, 2010
Did a frustrated LeBron James go out of his way to bump Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra during the Heat's loss to Dallas Mavericks Saturday night?
Or did a ticked-off Spoelstra deliberately try to walk through the King -- sending a message both to his unhappy superstar and disappointing 9-8 team?
These drama llamas deserve each other. All of 'em: LeBron, Spoelstra, the fans, anyone who's silly enough to give a damn.
posted by lil_brown_bat at 07:42 PM on November 28, 2010
From the Shirts Don't Lie Department:
posted by beaverboard at 09:34 PM on November 28, 2010
The Heat held a players-only meeting after the loss, which dropped them to 9-8...
So what you're saying is . . . they still have a shot at 72?
posted by holden at 11:28 PM on November 28, 2010
lbb,
You think Spoelstra is a drama seeker? I hadn't heard that he was-i thought that he was a young coach who one day woke up & was told:
you'll coach two great players, one pretty good player, & 12 horrible ones: oh & you have to make it work right away, good luck.
I guess i am trying to say that i really feel bad for him. He didn't sign up to coach this team. If they win, he gets no credit, if they lose, it is his fault, & there is no way he has the leverage to tell "the big 3" what to do. Seriously, a player (Wade) has more clout in personnel decisions than he does. I don't see him as adding to the drama intentionally; i think he is trying to survive the tempest in the teacup.
All that said, I may have missed something. Where did you read/hear that he is contributing to the drama? I seriously mean that. i might have missed it, & my perception is off.
posted by brainofdtrain at 12:20 AM on November 29, 2010
On a related note, I am curious to hear Spofites opinions on this question:
Has there ever been a more top-heavy team talent-wise in the history of the NBA? Their top 3 are obviously top tier players, but with players 4-15 the talent goes off a cliff.
posted by brainofdtrain at 12:23 AM on November 29, 2010
Not sure. I can't think of anyone who played with Jordan that was on his level. Shaq was never on Kobe's level but together they made the Lakers top heavy
The most top heavy team was Marshall, Eisenhower, Patton, Bradley, and MacArthur. But they didn't play hoops that much.
posted by irunfromclones at 03:00 AM on November 29, 2010
Not sure. I can't think of anyone who played with Jordan that was on his level. Shaq was never on Kobe's level but together they made the Lakers top heavy
Accepting that Jordan is the greatest of all time, no one could be at his level by definition. However, Pippen is an all-time great a rung or two below Jordan (depending on where you put your tiers). Also, it's lost in history now and probably influenced by perception of their respective careers as a whole, but Shaq was better than Kobe in their early years together with the Lakers.
posted by holden at 11:16 AM on November 29, 2010
Also, it's lost in history now and probably influenced by perception of their respective careers as a whole, but Shaq was better than Kobe in their early years together with the Lakers.
I think Shaq was always the better player on those Laker teams.
These drama llamas deserve each other. All of 'em: LeBron, Spoelstra, the fans, anyone who's silly enough to give a damn.
If the bump was purposeful it shows a lack of respect which is a bit of a problem. It's a problem that inhibits the fixing of the rest of the multitude of problems this team has. Yeah, we're guessing that it was purposeful and that it means the team has no respect for it's coach because if it's true the implications are pretty big. Oh, and it also feeds the narrative that Lebron is a dick.
posted by tron7 at 12:08 PM on November 29, 2010
Shaq was never on Kobe's level but together they made the Lakers top heavy
Good to see that I'm not the only that laughed at loud at that comment.
Have you just started watching Shaq play with the Suns Cavs Celtics?
Shaq is one the greatest centers to ever play the game. He was such a dominant force during his prime that teams were driven to foul him just to put him on the line and Kobe was in the beginning stages of becoming the player that we see now.
When Shaq was a rookie with the Magic, he was doing things on the court that no one had seen a player his size do. Remember, he was Dwight Howard before Dwight Howard and much more dominant.
posted by BornIcon at 03:11 PM on November 29, 2010
This is much more interesting than if they were 16-1.
Shaq was never on Kobe's level but together they made the Lakers top heavy People forget how good Shaq was. He was a prototype.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 06:42 PM on November 29, 2010
Shaq was never on Kobe's level
According to you and Kobe, maybe .....
A shoulder-to-shoulder nudge between LeBron James and Miami Heat
Pretty clear that Spoelstra is miffed once again at the effort Lebron gave on the play when calling the timeout.
LeBron "took his talents to south beach", some games it appears he's left his testicles elsewhere. It's possible that he is simply an amazingly gifted athlete alone, and not a great leader also ala Jordan/Magic/Bird ... very few are.
posted by cixelsyd at 08:15 PM on November 29, 2010
LeBron "took his talents to south beach"
Maybe he should try taking his talents to Miami or whatever city the Heat happen to be playing.
posted by graymatters at 11:43 PM on November 29, 2010
some games it appears he's left his testicles elsewhere.
Like last year's playoffs.
It's possible that he is simply an amazingly gifted athlete alone, and not a great leader also ala Jordan/Magic/Bird ... very few are.
Dead-on. The guy can score points and put up numbers. But please don't EVER compare him to the real greats who could carry teams to huge wins and championships.
posted by dyams at 08:44 AM on November 30, 2010
I said it when all the signings were complete: Pat Riley, come on down! (to the bench).